education

Here at TV4Education, we have a lot of interest in film, and in particular, its development into a digital medium that all of us are so frequently exposed to today.

The development of film has had a significant impact upon the way we learn and our worldview, often forming the contextual backbone for much of our culture- either via immortalising historical moments or perpetuating them in the first place. Stop and consider for a moment just how many of our contemporary culture’s touchstones are either captured by, or initiated from, film (be it photography or the moving image).

Furthermore, we spend an immense amount of time in front of a screen- a 2017 study by Nielsen found that the average American household watches a collective 7 hours and 50 minutes of television per day (this doesn’t account for other screen-related activities, such as social media, utilising streaming services, YouTube, etc.). Australian statistics read fairly similarly- the quarterly review from Oztam found that the average Australian home now has 6.2 screens per household, the majority of which have internet capabilities, and as individuals, we spend approximately 26.4 days per annum watching television (again, this doesn’t account for screen-related activities outside of this).

The verdict is in, and like it or not, Western society as a whole is consuming vast quantities of visual and digital media everyday, with this only being on the rise. It stands to reason that with these rapid changes, the way that we learn and interact is changing too. Or perhaps it is merely being catered to better than ever before- according to Dr. Lynell Burmark, images are directly processed by our longterm memory, whereas words are filtered first by our short term memory, which only retains approximately 7 pieces of information. Additionally, 90% of information transmitted to the brain is visual, and is processed 60,000 times faster than text.

Visual and digital media is more accessible than ever before- the click of a button and you can access information or virtually any subject from all over the globe. But in proportion to how much time we collectively spend consuming visual media, we tend to know comparatively little about its origins.

Film has changed a huge amount since its arguable genesis in the 1890s. Prior to this there were a number of precursors to film- be it the camera obscura, magic lanterns, stroboscopic animation devices or even shadow puppetry. Humanity as a whole has always had a fascination with the moving image.

The oldest surviving film in existence is the Roundhay Garden Scene by Louis Le Prince, made in 1888. At first appearance this film seems somewhat insignificant- it is a mere 2 seconds long, monochromatic and silent. Nonetheless, it captures something that photography and portraiture alone can’t capture- kinetic movement. Though this initial example lacks narrative, that was soon to come, and kineticism was to be a powerful part of story telling and our absorption of visual information, giving audiences the ability to see the subject moving from place to place and not only within the pages of a book or a theatre stage.

Initial films from this time period were seen as vaudeville entertainment, generally lasting under a minute and far more absorbed with the technology of the moving image than the story or information that image was attempting to convey- predominantly a novelty at this point. However, from there, film developed at a breakneck pace. In the span of a decade, cinema became a way to bring stage performances to the masses, in addition to travelogues, the latter of which catered beautifully to the Victorian fascination with exoticism. It wasn’t long before film was considered to be a medium in its own right, rather than a temporary curio, developing its own metalanguage of cinematography, with one of the first films with more than one shot being Robert W. Paul’s 1898 ‘Come Along, Do!’. And no surprise either- film clearly touched upon the power of visuals, something that was far more universal than a vocal language, though that too would come to be incorporated into the scope of cinema.

It wasn’t long before film turned from being a novelty to being considered serious business, with the first film-exclusive theatre, ‘The Nickelodeon’, opening in 1905. By 1910, film actors were being credited for their roles, and the films that they were starring in became increasingly longer, featuring narrative flow and character arcs.

In America, film companies quickly tried to find a unified base, initially splitting the year between Fort Lee and Jacksonville, before congregating to Hollywood by World War 1. By now there was a huge global influx for this noveau industry, with the United States, Italy Germany, France and Britain leading the way, in addition to smaller, less centralised film hubs such as Denmark and Russia.

Whilst the film industry was on the rise, the commencement and duration of World War 1 brought about a significant transition for the industry, with many companies and countries’ industries either collapsing entirely or vastly reducing their scale of production. This shift toppled the French and Italian monopoly as the the center of film production, with America / Hollywood coming to the forefront in their wake. By the 1920s, Hollywood was producing over 800 films per annum, over 80% of the total global film production. Additionally, going to the cinema was quickly becoming a weekly necessity, with approximately 50 million Americans attending every week. With the vast amounts of people coming to seem films every week, Hollywood began to create their own culture, implementing the ‘star system’ and garnering a huge amount of control over the public presentation and lives of their actors.

The development of the industry once again picked up in the post-war environment, with the first film with sound being released in 1927. Within two years, Hollywood had almost entirely shunned the silent film, and whilst the change was markedly slower in the rest of the world, the impact of sound was evident and the apparent immersion into film was nigh on complete. The inclusion of sound gave birth to the musical film in addition to the modern horror film, with the release of King Kong, Dracula and Frankenstein in the early 1930s. In addition to this, the invention of technicolour in 1916 positively revolutionised the industry, evident in multiple films from the period, such as the Wizard of Oz or America’s first animated feature, ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.’

Much of this development happened in the lull between the post WW1 environment, with the industry shifting yet again in the 1940s- Britain once again gained a foothold on the industry via their influx of wartime propaganda films, with America following suit with films such as Casablanca (1942) and reflecting the disillusionment of the war via the cynicism of film noir, such as the Maltese Falcon (1941), Double Indemnity (1944) and The Big Sleep (1946).

Post World War 2 left no breathing room, with the Cold War commencing soon afterward. The threat of communism loomed large over the industry, with many members of the Hollywood film industry, including Charlie Chaplin and Dalton Trumbo, being blacklisted. Notably, this time period of the early 1950s was largely impacted by the commonplace introduction of the television into the home, with many film studios turning to satire or spectacle (as demonstrated by influx of 3D films and alien themed science fiction) the to keep audiences.

That is not to say that television toppled the film industry, far from it. However, the rise of screen time only catapulted from here, with the average American household watching nearly an hour and a half more television by 1959 than they did at the beginning of the decade. Couple that with the fact that Americans are now spending almost 24 hours per week online, with streaming service Netflix boasting over 137 million subscribers as of 2018, little over a decade after the company moved into online video streaming in 2007 and only being available worldwide since 2016. With this in mind, Netflix users had streamed over 42.5 billion hours of video via the service as of 2015, with their userbase currently spending over 100 million hours per day watching content. It seems that watching content has moved from being an event or outing to being an extension of our day to day lives, with accessibility and portability being the order of the day.

The way that we interact and learn has changed over the years, with our visual bias being catered to more and more as the years go by. Additionally, there is a growing expectation from consumers for a sense of immediacy with visual media, hence the requirement of portability- we want content that will fit into our lives, that we can access anywhere, anytime, on any device. As technology is viewed more and more as an extension of our day to day lives, it is a necessity that is just as flexible as we are.

Here at TV4Education, we endeavour to do just that- to provide you with great content that you can access 24/7, regardless of device or location. Because education should be easy, and TV4Education helps to achieve that.

Here’s a list of TV4Education resources in relation to this subject. If you use the SmartSuite version of TV4Education, just search for the titles below on your site:

Play music in the classroom:

Popular song parodies are both relatable and good at helping with retention.

Here are a few of our favorites

Flipped Classrooms

Have a look at this previous post showing you the benefits and how to flip a classroom.

Regular Brain Breaks

Silent Ball

Find an area where you can safely toss a ball around. No one can talk or make a sound – being silent is the aim of the game.

The ball is tossed between classmates. Students cannot throw the ball back to the person who threw it to them. If a player misses the ball, talks or makes a bad pass, that student is out. The last two players are the champions.

Timed Chatter

Allow the students to do what they are desperate to do. Set a 3-minute timer and allow the students to get up and talk to their friends.

lots of pair share:

This allows students to build confidence, social skills and deductive thinking as they are asked to discuss ideas.

Have a video lesson created by one of our video learrning experts:

That’s right, just like the ability to request any program on free-to-air or Foxtel you can also request a multimedia rich lesson. Just send us the topic or curriculum code you are wanting and have it created for you within 2 business days. With over 140,000 videos already matched to the Australian curicculum we haven’t had a request we were unable to fill yet.

For more information on the system or to make a request you can contact us on our website

I’d like to begin by acknowledging the Traditional Owners of the land on which this piece was written today. I would also like to pay my respects to Elders past and present.

Today we will be exploring what it means to forgive and what it means to reconcile.

Let’s look up the definitions.

Forgiveness:

verb (used with object),for·gave,for·giv·en,for·giv·ing.

to grant pardon for or remission of (an offense, debt, etc.); absolve.

to give up all claim on account of; remit (a debt, obligation, etc.).

to grant pardon to (a person).

Reconciliation:

noun

an act of reconciling, as when former enemies agree to an amicable truce.

the state of being reconciled, as when someone becomes resigned to something not desired.

the process of making consistent or compatible.

This week is a time once a year when the focus is on how lucky we are to be in this country.

As an immigrant myself like (98%) of Australia’s population I feel very blessed to be in a country that is peaceful, prosperous and for the most part a wonderful place.

I remember spending a week in a township just north of Cairns called Yarrabah helping run a childrens program with my church, yes that’s me dressed up as a clown.

It was a wonderful time to get to know more about a culture I was not very exposed to, growing up in an Afro-Caribbean family in London I knew a lot about my culture despite being thousands of miles from my ancestral place.

When I arrived in New Zealand for the first time I learned a lot about their culture, language, and customs. It was taught in school, the news was presented in the language of the land. There was a definite strong representation of their culture.

When I arrived in Australia, it was quite different, I would get small snippets of culture, at art galleries with paintings in the 10s of thousands, or a 30-minute program on NITV. But not until I got to the township did I really get to experience this vibrant and wonderful history. I learned about the hundreds of nations that make up the one we call our own.

I remember seeing some 6 or 7-year-olds throwing rocks at something on the beach only to be told later they were scaring away the local 8ft croc. Best leave it to the experts!

So Forgiveness Vs Reconciliation.

To forgive is to choose to let go of a past injustice.

I forgave my old housemate for eating my tim-tams, I know right! You understand why he is now my “old Housemate”.

But we reconciled when he brought me back some Lindt chocolate of his own free will. I didn’t expect anything back after I forgave but he recognised his error and made amends.

That’s reconciliation

When the person who did wrong makes it right.

Now before I hear “I didn’t do it” or “that was 300 years ago” Yes, you are right it was. But there are still imbalances that are still affecting Australians today.

This documentary by John Piliger explores those imbalances and starts a conversation about the country that we live in. It tells us a little about the Oldest continuous culture in the world. Before Egypt, Ethiopia, China, India, The Mayans, Greece, Rome and all those that have come since.

Some areas have seen improvement and I commend the work of everyone who has worked at achieving this. But we still have a way to go.

ANZAC Day is one of the most momentous days on both the Australian and New Zealand calendars, marking the anniversary of the landing at Gallipoli on April 25th, 1915. This was one of the first major military actions on behalf of the Australian and New Zealand forces in WW1, with the campaign resulting in the loss of more than 8,000 Australian lives, with over 60,000 Australian lives being lost over the course of WW1. ANZAC Day has thus come to commemorate the sacrifice of all those who served and protected their country, not only in WW1, but in every war, conflict and peacekeeping operation that has followed since.

Australia had been a federated nation for only 13 years prior to the landing at Gallipoli, and the ANZAC legend has undoubtedly formed a foundational part of our national identity. The 25th of April serves as an occasion on which to honour the camaraderie, bravery and sacrifice of our troops in protecting the freedom of our country and Australian way of life. It is an opportunity to reflect upon the contribution of friends and family members, both past and present, and to pay our respects to those who built the values by which we uphold ourselves to on a national scale.

‘Lest we forget’ is one of the seminal phrases of the ANZAC tradition, and for good reason- it is an occasion of commemoration and serves as a constant reminder to never forget the imprint of every person who has contributed to the protection of our nation, commencing with many of our ancestors in Gallipoli. Understanding the history of this contribution is unquestionably a key part of continuing the ANZAC tradition and giving it the full scope and honour that it deserves.

As ANZAC Day approaches, it is a wonderful opportunity to reflect upon its history and significance, and how it continues to influence our lives to this day. Here at TV4Education, we wholeheartedly believe in the enduring influence of education, and understanding the sacrifice, history and stories of the ANZACs and the role they played in the formation of our cultural identity is undoubtedly a part of that, so that this tradition will be perpetuated for generations to come. Lest we forget.

Here’s a list of TV4Education resources in relation to ANZAC Day. If you use the SmartSuite version of TV4Education, just search for the titles below on your site:

Pop art is one of the seminal art movements of the mid 20th century: brash, bold and instantly iconic. Whilst it was arguably initiated in Britain, it took root in the advertisements and commercialism of the modern American landscape, designed to appear lightweight and vacuous. However, as host Alastair Sookes states in the documentary Soup Cans and Superstars: How Pop Art Changed the World, pop art has far more depth than it is often given credit for, being utilised to ‘expose the dark side of the American dream.’

What exactly is pop art? In 1957, pop artist Richard Hamilton defined it as the following: ‘popular (designed for a mass audience); transient (short term solution); expendable (easily forgotten); low cost; mass produced; young (aimed at youth); witty; sexy; gimmicky; glamorous; and big business.’ In short, it seeks to emulate the industry of its eponymous popular (pop) culture, mass media and advertising that it so often commentates on, bringing commercial art into the gallery.

Unlike many art movements, à la Dadaism, Futurism, Symbolism, Realism, Surrealism, Cubism and more, pop art wasn’t initiated with a strict manifesto regarding its boundaries or its foundation. However, like many of these movements, pop art plays with the boundaries of what is considered to be art, creating syncretism between ‘high’ and ‘low’ culture. The majority of the pop art movement was formed in isolation, made cohesive by the spirit of the time rather than commonality with other artists. Indeed, as curator Henry Geldzahler stated to Andy Warhol, ‘It was like a science fiction movie- you pop artists in different parts of the city, unknown to each other, rising up out of the muck and staggering forward with your paintings in front of you.’

Many famous pop artists, such as Warhol and James Rosenquist had their start in advertising. Their artwork often plays with the concepts of consumerism, celebrity and media, of mass reproduction, and the advertising ideal of happiness being a commodity. Advertising as we know it today had its genesis in the late 1940’s and 50’s, with the introduction of television advertisements, and pop art, coming to the forefront in the 1950’s and 60’s, was very much a reactionary framework for artists. As Sookes notes, pop art ‘holds up a mirror to the times… in all its Technicolor, tarnished glory.’ Against the backdrop of the Cold War and in a post WWII society, the glossy façade of celebrity and mass media was increasingly apparent, with the dichotomy between their projected optimism and artist’s cynicism being a frequent theme, prominently displayed in works such as Warhol’s ‘Marilyn Diptych’, Rosenquist’s ‘F-111’ and Roy Lichtenstein’s ‘Whaam!’

Pop art is a unique movement, in that in often directly participates in perpetuating the very aspects it is commenting on. A perfect example of this is Warhol’s infamous ‘Factory’, which cemented him as one of the first ‘business artists’, a model that has found favour with many contemporary artists (Jeff Koons and Damien Hirst spring to mind). Warhol’s method of screen printing allowed him to mass produce his work, this mechanical, accessible art style being a direct representation of Western consumerism, with Warhol noting that what was wonderful about America was that they ‘started the tradition where the richest consumers buy essentially the same things as the poorest. You can be watching TV and see Coca-Cola… you know that the President drinks Coca-Cola, Liz Taylor drinks Coca-Cola… you can drink Coca-Cola, too. A Coke is a Coke and no amount of money can get you a better Coke.’ This is further extrapolated in his famous ‘Campbell’s Soup Cans’, playing with everyday, highly recognisable imagery, and in doing so, taking art out of the gallery and into everyday life.

Whilst pop art is often intrinsically linked with the golden age of advertising in America, Sookes is also quick to note that it didn’t only find its home in the U.S.A. Pop art stretched to Britain, France, Germany and the USSR, often finding its beginnings as protest art. However, it consolidated its place in China’s late 20th century economic boom, as they embraced political reform and opened their doors to Western society. Long after the NY Times had declared the pop movement as ‘dead’, pop art found new life in China’s ‘tiger economy’ of the 1980’s, something that has continued into their current day art scene, reflecting an inherent fascination with the deeply embedded role that the nation has in the culture of consumerism and mass production.

Pop art is one of the major art movements of the mid 20th century, however, its reach stretches far beyond the typical association with the so called ‘golden age of advertising’ from the 1950’s and 60’s. Pop art has undoubtedly informed our perception of art today, serving as a direct commentary on our culture and influencing the business model of many current artists, utilising mass production and an assimilation of popular culture as a means of furthering their reach. The documentary Soup Cans and Superstars is an excellent resource in the study of this fascinating movement and will undoubtedly assist students in their understanding.

Here’s a list of TV4Education resources that can be used in relation to the topics covered in this post. If you use the SmartSuite version of TV4Education, just search for the titles below on your site:

I Was There- The Great War Interviews is a fantastic resource for students studying World War I. Extrapolating upon the original 1964 documentary series The Great War, this documentary provides a deeper look at the original collation of 280 eyewitness interviews, with never-before-seen footage of both soldiers and civilians. Thus, it provides invaluable insight into the behemoth that is WWI.

It is often easy to become overwhelmed by the sheer scale of an event like WWI, whereas I Was There- The Great War Interviews offers a deeply personal perspective, with interviews from a broad range of primary sources, from celebrated author Mabel Lethbridge O.B.E, soldiers Sebastian C. Lang, Charles Carrington, Wilhelm Eisenthal, factory worker Katie Morter, and many more. In addition to this, both the Allied and Central sides are represented, thus significantly minimising any inherent bias.

Whilst the overall strategic and historical outlines are not discussed in great detail, the documentary explores the human relations of the war, such as the methods of recruitment, be it women using white feathers to represent cowardice, propaganda posters, the utilisation of music hall stars like Vesta Tilley, pro-war effort music and film, etc., all designed to solicit enlistment. It also showcases the changing attitudes of towards the war, from the initial excitement and euphoria to the grim realisation of the horrors of the battlefield, with soldier Frank Brent stating that ‘…it (the war) required that we should live in animal conditions… inevitable that we would develop the animal characteristic of killing.’

Furthermore, the documentary successfully displays the disparity between soldiers and civilians, with former soldier Charles Carrington stating ‘one was seemingly annoyed by their (civilians) attempts to sympathise… which only really reflects that they didn’t understand at all’, whilst Mabel Lethbridge noted a ‘…a strange lack of ability to communicate… to tell us (civilians) what it was really like… They were restless at home… They didn’t want to stay home. They wanted to get back.’

The battlefield is displayed as a kind of microcosm, running from being ‘an inferno’, with the apparent need to ‘exact retribution’ from the enemy, to the Easter and Christmas armistices and the ‘deceptive peace’ that fraternisation with the enemy brought, with men singing together in the trenches, exchanging gifts and addresses for after the war. The documentary aims to explore multiple facets of the human experience of the Great War, recognising that to focus on only one would be to vastly limit its representation of this vast moment in history.

I Was There- The Great War Interviews proves to be a deeply personal look at a time in history that has deeply rooted itself in our collective psyche. The utilisation of such a wide range of primary sources will certainly be of interest to students and assist in broadening their understanding of WWI.

Here’s a list of TV4Education resources that can be used in relation to the topics covered in this post. If you use the SmartSuite version of TV4Education just search for the titles below on your site.

What is the value of language? Indeed, why is it something that we study, or devote the slightest iota of attention to? ‘Babel’, the first episode of Fry’s Planet Word, presented by Stephen Fry, explores this very notion, focussing upon the origins of language as a uniquely human concept, helping both teachers and students to gain a greater understanding of this foundational method of communication and thus obtain a greater appreciation, both of its importance and how it continues to shift and develop over time.

At its root, language is the grounding method of communication, but it does far more than that, with the acquisition and development of our utilisation of language being, according to Fry, ‘the most complex bit of brain processing that we know of.’ It goes beyond an animalistic need to communicate fear, hunger, danger, etc., becoming a nuanced social medium that differentiates vastly from person to person based upon a multitude of factors: the particular language you speak, the breadth of your personal vocabulary and manner in which you use it, the register that you use, whether or not in is appropriate to use idioms and colloquialisms regarding the situation, the list goes on and on. In short, language is something that uniquely identifies us, but also allows us to find commonality and communicate with those around us.

At present, there are approximately 7,000 languages in use today, varying from a handful of users, to over a billion. Whilst many of these languages differentiate in their conception of sentence structure, complexity, breadth of vocabulary, whether or not they are vocalised (in the case of sign language), the vast majority are made up of the same basic components: nouns, to identify things; adjectives, to describe them; verbs, to tell you what they do. It is from the use of these building blocks that much of what we identify as being a uniquely human quality springs from, a sinuous and consistently changing lens through which our worldview is shaped, in addition to allowing other people to share in our perspective.

Fry demonstrates the pervasive and fundamental nature of language in ‘Babel’ through a myriad of ways: the initial acquisition of language as the documentary tracks 15 month old Ruby over a one year period, philology, the comparisons between the Turkana language and English, how communication methods between animals are vastly different than those explored in humans, the determining factors on if a language flourishes or dies out, how our brains are affected by language use, and many other topics.

‘Babel’ proves to be an informative and uniquely insightful glance into the value of language and how it underpins so much of our daily lives, and will prove to be of particular interest to English and Language students as a supplement to their primary studies.

Here’s a list of TV4Education resources that can be used in relation to the topics covered in this post. If you use the SmartSuite version of TV4Education just search for the titles below on your site.

Raising Pompeii, presented by Michael Buerk, provides a fantastic introduction to the study of Pompeii. It is a unique resource in that it showcases the former Roman port city in all its former glory, thanks to state-the-art computer imagery, in addition to its current state. Thus, it helps students to straddle the necessary perspectives of any historian: past and present, and the unmitigated correlation between the two.

The eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD undoubtedly consolidated Pompeii’s place in history. Located along the Bay of Naples and once considered one of the gateways to the Roman empire, Pompeii was once home to an estimated 12,000 people. Today, it hosts approximately 3 million tourists every year. What is the reason for this intense fascination? Is it merely a sense of morbid curiosity surrounding the deaths of those who died in the Plinean eruption on August 24th, 79 AD? Mayhap, but it is also due to the fact that it is so rare for us to be offered such a holistic look at life in an ancient city. Pompeii is certainly unique in this regard, the very eruption that devastated its inhabitants also serving to make a lasting vignette of their lives, due to the thick layer of ash and pumice that was wrought over the city during the pyroclastic flow.

Indeed, Buerk concerns himself primarily with the notion of bringing ‘this city back to life’ and the lives that those in Pompeii led, not their grisly demise. Aided with computer generated reproductions, Raising Pompeii showcases Pompeii as it would have been in the 1st century AD, drawing on a wealth of knowledge from an array of archaeologists and historians such as Dr Sophie Hay and Peter Ellis. Every aspect of life in Pompeii is explored, from the agricultural industry, made possible by the rich volcanic soil, their production of wine and the infamous fish sauce garum, their imports and exports as a port city, diet, entertainment and even the utilisation of cosmetics are all discussed, as Buerk leads us through a sweeping look at life in Pompeii.

However, Buerk is also sure to provide specific examples of Pompeian life, leading us through the niche Porta Marina district and the house and bar of Sextus Pompeius Amarantus, showcasing the value of hospitality within Roman society as a platform with which to demonstrate your status, be it via the grand atrium or the food that was offered to guests, consolidating the class divide within Roman culture. He also demonstrates the importance of the forum within Roman society, be it as a political, religious (as showcased by the dominating presence of the temples of Jupiter, Apollo and Vespa) or social platform. We also delve into the importance of sports within Pompeian society, particularly gladiators and the Roman taste for the macabre. Buerk takes us around the amphitheatre, a veritable monolith of architecture and the first stone structure of its kind in Italy, made to host up to 20,000 people. Overall, every aspect showcased serves as a heady reminder of the might and grandeur of the ancient Roman empire.

Raising Pompeii serves as a fantastic introduction to the world of Pompeii and Ancient Rome in general, and will undoubtedly serve to pique student’s interest beyond the events of the eruption, providing a broader context with which to ground their study.

Here’s a list of TV4Education resources that can be used in relation to the topics covered in this post. If you use the SmartSuite version of TV4Education just search for the titles below on your site.

William Shakespeare is undoubtedly one of the greatest playwrights in history, and likely the best known. His work is still broadly studied and performed worldwide, more than four centuries after his death- so how has his work acquired a stereotype of being fusty, irrelevant and difficult to decipher?

Whether or not you are aware of it, Shakespeare’s work has cemented itself in the collective conscience of our society. For example, look at these common sayings and idioms: a foregone conclusion, a sea change, a sorry sight, dead as a doornail, all’s well that ends well, be all and end all, foul play, green eyed monster, hot-blooded, a charmed life, lie low, in a pickle, in stitches, I have not slept a wink, night owl, up in arms, woe is me, wild goose chase– the list goes on and on. What do these have in common? They were all originally coined by Shakespeare.

Perhaps one of the greatest errors in the study of his work is to concentrate solely upon the transcriptions of his plays: Shakespeare counted himself as a playwright, and thus his plays are designed to be performed to an audience as a visual medium, and not limited to the page. Given a performance of his work, the cadences of language and utilisation of techniques such as metaphor and iambic pentameter immediately become apparent to students, opening up the apparent barriers between our modern English and that of Shakespeare’s day. This allows students to better utilise their knowledge of the themes and motifs being explored within his work, rather than being bogged down by individual stanzas, without understanding the broader context of the act, or indeed the piece as a whole.

Indeed, perhaps the reason Shakespeare has been such an enduring influence upon our society is due to the commonality of the human experience that is explored within his work. Whether you are studying works as fanciful as the comedy A Midsummer Night’s Dream or the romance The Tempest, his histories or his tragedies, they are all rooted in the tribulations, the joys, the melancholy and the general experience of what it is to be human. Love, loss, revenge and political intrigue are all common threads within his work, and it is largely for this reason that Shakespeare has stood the test of time- think of any popular film, television series, book or popular culture phenomenon, past or present, and they will likely be grounded in at least one of these things. Shakespeare was considered a vastly accessible playwright in his time, with every class coming to view his work. To be accessible to so many, he had to tap into the commonality between them all.

Another common error in studying his work is to purely view Shakespeare’s work through our own 21st century lens, without consideration for the historical, social and political context in which he was writing in. The culmination of this is often a sense of isolation and irrelevance on the part of students, or a complete misrepresentation of the original themes, such as an overt attachment of colonialist overtones to The Tempest. Whilst the universality of his plays and the exploration of our current context is an important addition to any textual study, it is just as vitally important to hold in consideration the viewpoints and broader context that Shakespeare was writing in.

As has been established, it is a necessity to study Shakespeare using a range of methods and angles, in order to better consolidate our understanding and bring his work to life. Here at TV4Education, we have a vast collection of material to better assist with this. Be it the fantastic Shakespeare Uncovered series, that delves into the context that Shakespeare wrote the play in whilst also examining how it the work continues to evolve, its relevance in today’s society, and the different facets that are explored by different actors, productions and scholars; or Lenny HenryFinding Shakespeare, a witty, down-to-earth look at how Shakespeare was originally for everybody, how this has changed over time, and how to rectify this; or the numerous of productions of his work in our collection, from Richard II, Othello, Romeo and Juliet, The Taming of the Shrew, The Tempest and many more.

Whilst close study of the written text is an important facet, viewing Shakespeare in action and accessing a variety of perspectives through the medium of multimedia will prove to be an invaluable tool and addition to the classroom. The amalgamation of these learning techniques will foster an increased appreciation of Shakespeare’s work, something that will be enjoyed for years to come.

Here’s a list of TV4Education resources that can be used in relation to the topics covered in this post. If you use the SmartSuite version of TV4Education just search for the titles below on your site.

In light of the Churchill documentary available through the Foxtel Movies Channel, Sophie, our new lesson planning pro, has put together a detailed review just for you.

Richard Bond’s 2009 documentary, Churchill’s Darkest Decision, provides a fascinating look at Winston Churchill’s initiative to mobilise the controversial naval Operation Catapult in July 1940. Bond’s primary focus is upon the Attack of Mers-el-Kébir in Algeria, in addition to the catalysts that culminated in this event, which resulted in the death of 1,297 Frenchmen within 10 minutes- at the time it was the highest death toll of any naval action since the commencement of World War II.

Churchill’s Darkest Decision details the rapidly shifting allegiances of WWII, demonstrating the often fickle nature of alliances in the face of this nouveau warfare and the overt threat of Nazi Germany. Key personalities such as Admiral François Darlan, President Roosevelt, Prime Minister Mackenzie King, James Somerville and Marcel-Bruno Gensoul are all noted, with Bond deftly exploring the closely interwoven political machinations of these figures in regards to Churchill.

However, the documentary isn’t limited to the perspectives of these figures, providing a further revelation into the complications of warfare via the utilisation of primary sources such as Robert Philpott (HMS Hood) and Léon le Roux (Battleship Dunkerque). Both men were teenagers at the time of the attack, serving on the British and French navies respectively, and are called upon to relay their indignation and horror at Britain turning upon their former allies, noting the confusion, the screams and bloodshed of what later became referred to as the ‘French Pearl Harbour.’ Many who were serving were ignorant of France’s changed political status, with France having surrendered to Germany only weeks prior- thus many Frenchmen believed that the British were coming to aid them, rather than open fire.

This political ignorance stands in stark contrast to the greater landscape of Churchill’s administration, the latter extending back to the genesis of his time in office (May 10th 1940). Operation Catapult was a direct result of several factors: a broken agreement between France and Britain’s terms for capitulation; the necessity of obtaining favour from the US in order to obtain naval aide; and the looming threat of the combined forces of France, Germany and Italy’s naval resources. Because whilst Britain had the largest navy, it was spread exceedingly thin over Britain’s vast empire, and their numbers didn’t compare to the aforementioned trio.

Bond establishes an immersive atmosphere, be it via the contents of Churchill’s numerous telegrams to President Roosevelt, the newsreels and primary footage surrounding and of the event, the displays of reactionary Nazi propaganda or the dichotomy of the reaction of the home front and the House of Commons in contrast to the recounted horrors of the front line. And whilst the primary focus is upon the events of Mers-el-Kébir, Bond ensures that the naval escapades of Alexandria, Britain and the scuttling of ships in Toulon are all included.

Overall, this documentary is a fantastic addition to the study of WWII, the personality of the eponymous Churchill and the intersecting nature of political and military forces. Whilst it provides a brief vignette of the pivotal event that was WWII, it also provides students with a great example of the effectiveness of collating a variety of sources, in addition to clearly demonstrating the pressure-cooker environment that was the Churchill government.

Here’s a list of TV4Education resources that can be used in relation to the topics covered in this post.